Stewart Golf cuts customer response times to one minute

Stewart Golf has introduced Crescendo's artificial intelligence support system across its customer service operation, cutting first response times to one minute.

The electric golf trolley maker said the system, branded "Stewie", now handles customer enquiries by chat and email across the UK and US.

Stewart Golf sells golf trolleys, accessories and support services, and operates in Britain and Houston, Texas. As the business expanded, customer support remained centred on a UK-based team working British office hours, leaving customers in other time zones facing delays.

The problem was most acute at weekends and during busy retail periods such as Black Friday, bank holidays and the start of the golf season. Support backlogs could climb into the thousands, while customers with problems during a round might wait days for an answer already available in the knowledge base.

After deploying Crescendo's platform, the AI assistant resolved 75% of customer enquiries within a month, according to Stewart Golf. More complex cases were passed to human agents in an average of 24 seconds, while support coverage extended to 24 hours a day.

Stewart Golf also reported four consecutive weeks of 100% customer satisfaction. Customers gave the assistant five-star reviews, according to figures released by the two companies.

Support changes

The system combines automated responses with human intervention when needed. Stewart Golf's internal team continues to handle weekday support, while Crescendo's customer service agents provide weekend cover.

Management said the arrangement reduced pressure on in-house staff by shifting repetitive questions to the AI assistant. That allowed the team to focus on more involved issues, including troubleshooting and cases requiring a human decision.

Nathan Hooper, Head of Customer Experience at Stewart Golf, described the effect on the business after launch.

"Working with Crescendo has changed what we thought was possible in customer experience. The platform didn't just solve our coverage gaps, it gave us a level of consistency and quality we'd never been able to achieve before. Four consecutive weeks of 100% customer satisfaction isn't something I ever expected to see, and that's a direct result of what Crescendo has built. Stewie has become a genuine extension of our brand," said Hooper.

Before choosing the platform, Stewart Golf explored whether it could build automated workflows inside Zendesk and reviewed AI tools already available through the system. It concluded those options did not offer the conversational approach it wanted for customer interactions.

Crescendo demonstrated a working assistant using Stewart Golf's existing Zendesk knowledge base within days. According to the companies, the assistant was set up to answer questions on products, deliveries, warranties and troubleshooting, and to pass on difficult cases when required.

Growth pressure

Hooper estimated the business would otherwise have needed to increase customer experience headcount by 50% to maintain service levels during peak periods while adding weekend coverage. That made support efficiency a pressing issue as the company sought to serve customers on both sides of the Atlantic without expanding the team at the same pace.

The deployment reflects a wider shift among consumer-facing businesses towards using AI in service operations to handle routine requests around the clock. For companies with international customer bases, the appeal often lies in extending coverage beyond normal office hours without moving to a full follow-the-sun staffing model.

Matt Price, Chief Executive Officer at Crescendo, said: "Most AI companies think about AI in customer support as a cost problem to solve. Stewart Golf saw it as an experience to build. That mindset is exactly why their results speak for themselves - from multi-day response times to five-star reviews. What comes next is even more exciting, with that same intelligence moving seamlessly from answering questions today to guiding purchases tomorrow. The best sales tool they'd have is just great service."

Crescendo said its software reviews each conversation through an automatic quality assurance function, while Stewart Golf's team checks unusual cases and updates content in the knowledge base. The companies said that process means the system continues to improve as more customer interactions pass through it.

Founded more than 20 years ago, Stewart Golf manufactures electric golf trolleys that can follow a golfer automatically. The company said its support operation now runs around the clock without an increase in headcount.